Key takeaways
- The Railjet is a push-pull train, not a multiple unit: a locomotive at the front or rear, an unpowered control car at the opposite end.
- RJ and RJX differ in the timetable, not in the vehicle – they're train categories, not types.
- Fastest feature: if you can make out a separate locomotive body with pantographs at the end of the train, it's a Railjet and not an ICE.
- The locomotive belongs to the picture, but not to the set: which machine is coupled up front can change.
- Deployment areas and diagrams change with every timetable change – check the current status instead of older line lists.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Fixed passenger coach set for high-speed services, run in push-pull operation |
|---|---|
| Train concept | Locomotive at one end, control car at the other – not a multiple unit |
| Coach type | Siemens Viaggio Comfort |
| Maximum speed | 230 km/h |
| Typical train locomotive | Four-axle Taurus locomotive of ÖBB Class 1116 |
| Train categories | RJ (Railjet) and RJX (Railjet Xpress) – timetable designations, not a vehicle difference |
| Comfort classes | Economy, First and Business |
| Designation system | Railjet is a product name, not an ÖBB class number |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Red-and-grey livery across the whole set, locomotive and coaches colour-matched
- A stand-alone four-axle locomotive at one end of the train, a control car at the other
- The control car has a driving cab, but no traction of its own and no pantographs
- A set that looks closed, with matching window bands and step-free gangways
- Runs in the timetable as RJ or RJX, not as ICE, EC or REX
- Coach numbers start with a passenger-coach code, not a traction-vehicle code
Updated: August 2026 – A red-and-grey set, a locomotive up front, a driving cab without a pantograph at the rear: that’s the Railjet, the flagship of Austrian long-distance travel. This page explains why, despite its high-speed credentials, it isn’t a multiple unit, what separates RJ from RJX, and how to identify it beyond doubt on the platform.
Spotted a Railjet? Note locomotive and set separately.
With the Railjet, the train locomotive changes more often than the coach set – note both separately, and your sighting stays useful for analysis.
What is the ÖBB Railjet?
The Railjet is a fixed passenger coach set of the ÖBB for fast long-distance services, designed for 230 km/h and built on the Siemens Viaggio Comfort coach type. It’s run as a push-pull train: a stand-alone electric locomotive hangs at one end of the train, while at the other a control car runs with a driving cab but no traction of its own.
That makes the Railjet operationally something different from a high-speed multiple unit. It shares the task – fast long-distance connections – but not the design. The advantage of the concept lies in its flexibility: locomotive and set can be maintained and scheduled independently of one another.
Important for understanding the Austrian vehicle world: Railjet is a product name, not a class designation. The ÖBB designate their traction vehicles under “Reihe” (class) plus a four-digit number, where the leading digit codes the vehicle type – 1 for electric locomotives, 2 for diesel locomotives, 4 for electric multiple units, 5 for diesel multiple units. A coach set doesn’t fall into this scheme; its individual coaches carry passenger-coach numbers.
RJ or RJX: the difference lies in the timetable
You won’t find the difference on the vehicle, because there isn’t one. RJ and RJX are train categories, that is, categories in the timetable. RJX stands for Railjet Xpress and marks workings with a faster route, RJ the remaining Railjet trains.
For spotters the distinction is still relevant, because it appears in the train number and in journey information, and because it describes how the train is deployed in the network. How train categories and train numbers are fundamentally connected is explained in the article on the difference between local and long-distance services.
How to recognise a Railjet set
Step 1: Check the livery
Red-and-grey along the whole length, locomotive and coaches colour-matched. White with a red stripe would be an ICE, blue-and-white another product.
Step 2: Compare the ends of the train
One end carries a compact, four-axle locomotive with pantographs. The other end is a coach with a driving cab but no roof equipment.
Step 3: Look at the gangways
Closed bellows sit between the coaches. The set looks uniform rather than like an assembled rake of coaches.
Step 4: Check against the train number
If the display shows RJ or RJX, the identification is practically certain. If in doubt, the vehicle numbers decide.
The train locomotive is usually a four-axle Taurus machine. If you want to dig into this family, you’ll find the details on the pages for the ÖBB Class 1116 (Taurus) and the multi-system Class 1216 (Taurus III).
How the train is composed operationally
| Train section | Traction | Driving cab | How to recognise it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train locomotive | yes | yes | Compact locomotive body, pantographs on the roof |
| Intermediate coach | no | no | Continuous window band, bellows gangways at both ends |
| Control car | no | yes | Driving cab at the front, but no pantograph, no engine noise |
| Whole set | – | at both ends | Uniform livery, closed gangways |
This table is also the shortest explanation of the push-pull principle: the train doesn’t need to run round at the terminus. The locomotive stays where it is, and the driver walks to the driving cab at the other end. From the control car, commands are transmitted via a control line to the locomotive, which then pushes the train. What such a control car looks like in local services is shown on the page for the ÖBB CityShuttle control car.
Which Taurus is leading today?
Community sightings show you which locomotives are currently being reported in front of Railjet sets.
Where you find Railjet sets
The Railjet follows the main axes of ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG and is also used across borders. On the eastern axis, the route reaches as far as the network of MÁV. For choosing a location, this means: major long-distance hubs beat small intermediate stops, because dwell times arise there in which you can note numbers at your leisure. At the terminus station Munich Central Station at the western end of the axis, that’s the norm.
Lines and diagrams are variable
Which relations are run with Railjet sets and how many trains run daily shifts with timetable changes, engineering works and vehicle availability. Treat any statement about this as a snapshot and check it against current data.
Anyone travelling spontaneously combines timetable with real-time data. How that works in practice and which sources complement each other is covered in the guide Trainspotter live.
A second point that’s often overlooked with the Railjet: because locomotive and set are scheduled separately, two sightings on different days with the same set are still two different observations as soon as the train locomotive changes. Anyone who only notes “saw a Railjet” loses exactly this level of detail. A sighting with three pieces of information is therefore sensible: locomotive number, set and train category. Only this combination describes the train the way it actually ran that day.
Then there’s the direction. A push-pull train runs with the locomotive leading on one day and with the control car at the front the next, depending on where you catch it in the diagram. For photo planning that’s crucial: anyone wanting a locomotive shot needs to know which end of the train the machine is running at – and that can be observed fairly reliably over several days at the same station, for instance at Innsbruck Central Station.
Photo tips for the Railjet
The set is long and uniformly liveried – that makes full-set shots difficult and detail shots rewarding.
Work from the end of the train
A three-quarter view of the locomotive or control car shows the front and side wall at once and gives the picture depth.
Expose red cleanly
Strong red tends to blow out. Exposing slightly under keeps the detail in the livery.
Document both ends
Locomotive and control car belong together in the archive – only then is the sighting fully described.
Stand safely
Mind the platform edge, stay behind the safety line. Tracks and operational railway land are off limits for photos.
How to read the twelve-digit vehicle number on coach and locomotive and what the individual blocks mean is explained in the guide to the ÖBB number and UIC coach number. The photographic fundamentals from panning to exposure are covered in the article good photos of trains.
Common mix-ups
It points to a Railjet if …
- the set is liveried red-and-grey throughout
- a stand-alone locomotive hangs at one end
- a driving cab without a pantograph sits at the other end
- the train runs in the timetable as RJ or RJX
Look more closely if …
- you only see the locomotive – it also runs in front of other trains
- the train is running as a replacement working with a foreign set
- a similarly liveried set of another railway administration is in front of you
It's not a Railjet if …
- the train is liveried white with a red stripe – that's an ICE
- the passenger area runs right to the front without a locomotive
- it's a double-deck train
The most common error involves double-deck stock in long-distance service: a two-storey train is never a Railjet, but belongs to another family – for instance the Class 4110 (Stadler KISS). And a white-and-red multiple unit without a separate locomotive is an ICE set on Austrian services.
Verdict
The Railjet is the best object lesson in the fact that high speed doesn’t automatically mean a multiple unit. Locomotive plus control car, with a fixed set in between: once you’ve understood this principle, you’ll recognise it again in every push-pull train – from long-distance to regional services.
Quick verdict
Red-and-grey set, locomotive at one end, unpowered control car at the other: that's the Railjet. RJ and RJX are separated only by the timetable, not by the vehicle – and the train locomotive is best noted separately.
Document Railjet sightings cleanly
Set, locomotive number, train category and date in one place – so individual observations turn into a real collection.
Summary
- The Railjet is the ÖBB's high-speed coach set, run as a push-pull train with a locomotive and a control car.
- Two glances are enough for identification: the set's livery and the shape of the two ends of the train.
- RJ and RJX are train categories in the timetable; the vehicle behind them is the same.
- Because locomotive and set are scheduled separately, it's worth noting both at every sighting.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Railjet a multiple unit?
No. The Railjet is a fixed coach set run in push-pull operation. A stand-alone electric locomotive hangs at one end of the train, while a control car with a driving cab but no traction runs at the other. That's exactly where it differs fundamentally from an ICE, in which traction and coach set form a single structural unit.
What's the difference between RJ and RJX?
Both are train categories in the timetable, not vehicle types. RJX stands for Railjet Xpress and marks trains with a faster route, RJ the remaining Railjet workings. You won't spot the difference on the vehicle itself – only from the train number and timetable information.
Which locomotive pulls a Railjet?
Typically a four-axle Taurus machine of ÖBB Class 1116. Which locomotive is actually coupled to a set is a matter of scheduling and can change from diagram to diagram. For spotters that means: always note the locomotive number and the set separately.
How fast does the Railjet run?
The set is designed for 230 km/h. Whether that speed is actually reached depends on the route – it's only run where the infrastructure standard and clearance allow it. In everyday operation, the timetable sets the pace.
How do I recognise a Railjet's control car?
It has a driving cab with a windscreen, but no pantographs on the roof and no powered bogies. From the side it looks like a normal passenger coach with a driving cab attached at the front. The coach number follows the scheme for passenger coaches, not the one for traction vehicles.
Do Railjet sets also run outside Austria?
Yes, the Railjet is used in cross-border traffic, and other railways also run sets of this type. Which routes are served in a given timetable year changes regularly and should always be checked against current information.
What does Railjet mean in the ÖBB class scheme?
Nothing at all – Railjet is a product name. The ÖBB designate traction vehicles with "Reihe" (class) plus a four-digit number, where the first digit states the vehicle type. A coach set doesn't get such a class number, but consists of individually numbered passenger coaches.
Where's the best place to photograph a Railjet?
At long-distance stations with longer dwell times, only from the platform or other publicly accessible locations. Because the set is long and uniformly liveried, a three-quarter view from the end of the train is worthwhile – that way you get the locomotive or control car and the side wall in one shot.
Log your sighting of the ÖBB Railjet (RJ / RJX)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
ÖBB Class 1116 (Taurus)
The Class 1116 is the ÖBB's dual-system Taurus: 15 kV and 25 kV, 230 km/h, 6,400 kW. Here's how to tell it apart from the 1016 and 1216 for sure.
High-speedÖBB ICE (Classes 401/402/403 in service)
ICE sets run in cross-border long-distance services in Austria. Here's how to tell ICE 1, ICE 2 and ICE 3 apart and read off which country the vehicle is from.
Driving trailerÖBB CityShuttle Control Car
A control car has a driving cab but no motor. Here's how push-pull operation works on the ÖBB CityShuttle – and how to spot the control car for sure.
High-speedÖBB / Westbahn Class 4110 (Stadler KISS)
The Class 4110 denotes double-deck Stadler KISS multiple units in Austrian long-distance service. Here's how to identify it and read the class number correctly.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
MÁV Magyar Államvasutak
MÁV is both infrastructure manager and group holding company in Hungary – passenger trains run under the name MÁV-START, and freight has long belonged to an Austrian group. And almost every vehicle carries two designations side by side.
InfrastructureÖBB-Infrastruktur
ÖBB-Infrastruktur owns the tracks, points, signals and most stations in Austria – but not a single train in the timetable. That's exactly why locomotives from companies with no connection to ÖBB roll over the Brenner, Semmering and Tauern lines.
State railwayÖsterreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB)
ÖBB isn't a single company but a group made up of passenger transport, the Rail Cargo Group and infrastructure. If you're spotting in Austria, you can't avoid the four-digit class scheme – it tells you the traction and design before you've even properly identified the vehicle.
BrandRailjet
Railjet is the name of a train concept, not a company. The brand belongs to ÖBB, yet the Czech state railway also runs its own Railjet trainsets. Anyone going by colour and shape alone will reliably mix the two up.
Where to see the ÖBB Railjet (RJ / RJX)
Specific viewpoints with lighting times, coordinates and an honest verdict on whether the trip is worth it.
Bratislava hlavná stanica
Bratislava sits closer to Austria and Hungary than almost any other capital does to its neighbours. The main station clings to the slope above the old town, is visibly showing its age – and precisely because of that offers a mix of rolling stock that vanished further west long ago.
Junction stationBudapest Keleti
Keleti is Hungary's most important international station and one of the last great terminus stations in Europe where older rolling stock isn't kept in a museum but still earns its keep in service. Read the hall correctly and you'll come away with vehicles that vanished west of the border long ago.
Junction stationInnsbruck Hauptbahnhof
Innsbruck is the only place in Austria where the Brenner axis, the Arlberg line and the Lower Inn Valley line meet. The result is a station where locomotives are constantly being moved, coupled and set up – against a mountain backdrop no other main station can match.
Junction stationMünchen Hauptbahnhof
München Hauptbahnhof is one of the largest terminus stations in Europe – and, at the same time, a major building site that has dragged on for years. If you know where the Starnberg and Holzkirchen wing stations start and where the S-Bahn disappears to, you can still pull a complete cross-section of southern German traffic out of it.
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